


Heat Wave

by foxspalmer



Category: Cowboy Bebop (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21990868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxspalmer/pseuds/foxspalmer
Summary: Faye is determined to prove herself after multiple failed bounty attempts. Following a lead in Tijuana, she finds herself chasing after the same bounty as Spike, and in a moment of competitiveness, mentions Julia - partly out of strategy, partly out of jealousy. Spike stumbles and gets hurt. In an abandoned alleyway, in the middle of a Tijuana heat wave, he confronts Faye.
Relationships: Spike Spiegel/Faye Valentine
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	Heat Wave

I took a long drag of my cigarette.

Jesus, it was hot. I could feel sweat dripping down the center of my chest. I wiped it away with the back of my hand. Tijuana is not for the weak-hearted.

Lucky for me, I wanted the money enough.

I was in a dark corner of a bar on the outskirts of the city, right before civilization faded into desert. Full of skeeves and loud idiots, the air was thick with cigarette smoke and the stench of drugs I couldn't even identify. I scanned the room, the end of my cigarette the only light illuminating my face.

I am not going to screw this up. The last two bounty attempts were abysmal. I rolled my eyes at myself in the dark. I could hear Jet and Spike's latest scolding in my head — even after three days off the grid, far away from the Bebop…

> "Welcome back, princess," Jet growled at me as I entered the common area of the ship. I ripped my red jacket off and threw it against the wall. Ein yelped at the noise.
> 
> "It's not my _fault_ ," I hissed through my teeth. I turned and saw Spike napping on the couch, his hands behind his head. I grabbed the cigarette pack sitting on his chest and pulled the remaining one out.
> 
> "I don't know whose fault it would be then," Jet said with mock patience. "Is it not the job of the bounty hunter to know WHO IS IN FACT THE BOUTY TO CATCH? Not only did you grab the wrong guy, but you wrecked the Red Tail. And I'm sure you expect me to fix it, right?"
> 
> I lit the cigarette with a deep inhale and tossed the pack back on Spike's chest. After a beat he looked at its empty contents… then crushed it in his hand. Whatever, be mad. Join the party.
> 
> "Look, I don't have those fancy bounty hunter glasses you and Spike have. And why is that? Because you refuse to give me a pair! I have to go off memory, ok?" I yelled at Jet who was leaning on the staircase railing.
> 
> "So you expect us to give you what YOU need to catch bounties and then happily sit back while you to waste our winnings gambling? If that's your ideal scenario, let me clue you in on what that gives us: _nada_." Jet descended the stairs before almost tripping over Edward on the landing.
> 
> "Watch out for Ed! Oooh la la," she sang out as she typed away on her machine.
> 
> "If you just worked _with_ us for a change, at least to get a plan of action, we'd have a fraction of a better chance then you blindly running in there like an idiot!" Jet roared. 
> 
> "It's getting kinda old saving your ass every time, Faye." I whirled around to Spike, my face burning. He sat up and tossed the empty pack into a faraway trash can in the corner of the room. He made it in, effortlessly. For some reason, that made me even more livid.
> 
> It was an infuriating fact. Spike had to save me more times that I would ever admit out loud. Yeah, I knew I was the weak one in the group. But I wanted to prove myself -- I knew I could do it. And without the help of those two losers. Unfortunately, I needed them… for now.
> 
> I stomped over to where Spike was sitting and towered over him, the center of my yellow hot pants aligning directly to his nose. I saw his eyes lock on the meeting point of my legs, then on to my bare midriff, and finally up to my face. I caught a moment of pink burning in his cheeks and I savored the electric energy. Nothing made me feel more powerful than that moment of vulnerability of a man beneath my dominance.
> 
> "I never asked you to save me, Spike. You made that decision on your own," I said huskily, taking a drag of my cigarette. He stood up suddenly, his body momentarily pushing against mine, and I had to step back, knocking into the table ungracefully. He plucked the cigarette from my fingers and put it between his lips, taking a drag before silently walking out of the common area. I just watched him leave, my stomach tingling slightly where his solid body had pressed against mine.
> 
> "HELLO?!" Jet yelled across the room.

Needless to say, Jet wouldn't fix up my ship unless I promised to relinquish my share of the next bounty to him. That wasn't going to work for me, but I said what I needed to say, and my Red Tail was fixed up good as new. Then I booked it out of there without so much as a goodbye. Good riddance. We'll see who the weakest team member actually is. Not that we're a team. We're unwilling, unfriendly roommates.

I wiped the sweat running down the side of my face.

I knew my target, and I knew he'd be here. Victor Red was his name. And I wasn't going to miss him this time. My eyes scanned the room for this sniveling 145 lbs. drug dealer, thin sunglasses with a red goatee. I peered into the clusters of men huddled at their tables, some of them speaking in hushed tones, swapping their secrets, others drunkenly boisterous. It was so dark I could barely see their facial features… but _there._ I caught a glimpse of a copper goatee. Was that him?

"Hey cowgirl, what are you doing here?" A shadow of a man towered over me. I knew that voice.

I looked up into warm brown eyes.

"Back off, Spike," I mumbled against my cigarette. I saw a crooked smirk form on his lips.

"You left again without a word. What's with the disappearing act?" He took a step closer to me as a thug tried to walk through the crowd. In the intimate proximity I could see lines of sweat shine off his neck in the dim light. Despite my better judgement, I swallowed before tearing my gaze away from him. I had to focus. Where did beardy go?

"What, did you miss me?" I said with a half-laugh.

"Edward kept moaning, asking where you were. She still doesn't get that we're not friends." He leaned against the wall now, lighting his own cigarette. I could see his eyes darting around the room, trying to find Victor Red for himself. Damn him.

"Aw, you're hurting my feelings," I said, turning away. "And I thought we were so close."

I walked away from him, not looking back. I wasn't going to get any closer to picking up Victor if Spike was there distracting me. Unfortunately, as I moved a dozen eyes followed my figure as I moved along the pack. There was no being conspicuous in a place like this for someone like me

"Hey, baby," a grizzled voice murmured. I ignored it and walked on. I had to find a better vantage point.

"Why don't you come over here, hot stuff?" Another voice called out. I felt a wide, rough hand slide up my asscheek. I knocked it away, swallowing the anger rising in the throat. If I made a scene now, Red might bolt.

Damn it. That Spike.

Not too long ago I was waiting on him, hand and foot after he fell through that church window. That ungrateful bastard… I practically brought him back to life! Nevermind that he went there to save me after I'd been captured by Vicious. He said not to take that personally… What is going on in that fluffy head of his... Who is Vicious exactly? And a better question, who is this Julia I hear him whispering about to Jet late at night?

I shook my head as if to clear it.

Perhaps the _best_ question is: Why do I care?

I snuck out the side exit, desperate for some air the didn't reek of male body odor. The hot sun beat down on the dirt pavement and I found little solace beneath the bar's thatched roof. I closed my eyes as I leaned against the building, flies buzzing near my ear.

I sighed. I'll never catch him.

The front door suddenly crashed open and I jumped with a start. Chickens on the roadside skittered and clucked out of the way of a man who quickly shut the door behind him. I looked over, annoyed.

"Damn that bounty hunter. Did he see me?"

There he was. Victor Red, right before my eyes. He was a skinny thing. Thin, square sunglasses barely covering his eyes. He was peering through the crack between the door and the wall, panting.

I smiled to myself and slowly brought my gun to his head. He didn't notice until I cocked it, with an ominous click.

"Hey there, big boy. Why don't you catch a ride with me?" His hands flew up to the air as he tried to get a look at me with a side eye. I got him. Three million woolong… all mine! I grinned, relief washing over me.

The door suddenly crashed open again, knocking Victor in the face and the gun straight out of my hand.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL --" I yelled before I looked up to see… Spike.

Victor Red gazed up at the towering idiot, his mouth agape.

"Whaa? Aughh!" He clambered back onto his feet and took off down a side alley next to the bar. We watched him go, and I reached down to pick up my gun and chase after him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to give this to you," Spike said in his lazy tone. He reached into his lapel pocket and tossed a white slip of paper my way. I snatched it before it hit the ground.

"What's this?" I said, irritated. The white light of the sun bounced off the paper. I narrowed my eyes and saw a tally of numbers.

"Your invoice!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing down the alley after Red.

"… GRRRAH!" I yelled in fury. He's stealing my bounty! I crumpled the paper in my fist and threw it to the ground amongst the chickens.

I took off at a sprint, as fast as my heeled boots would let me.

“I had him!” I yelled at Spike’s back, panting. “If you hadn’t barged in, we could be taking him to a station right now!”

“Yeah, right.” Spike called back, not sounding the least bit winded. He hopped over a tower of crates. “We both know you would have cashed him in all by yourself. I had to intervene. Some people on the Bebop need to eat— people other than you.”

I scowled and picked up the pace. The heat was blurring my vision, almost making me dizzy. I pushed past it.

Spike leaped at Red, who yelped on his way down.

“Gotcha,” Spike said, with a hint of smile on his voice, like always. Nothing bothered him. Not yet. I swung my leg up and crashed it against the side of his head.

“Ahhhg!” He called out as he tumbled to the dirt, mostly out of surprise. I’ve been wanting to kick that big head of his for a long time.

I heard the _schling_ of a pocket knife whipping out of its holder. Victor Red charged at me with a wild yell. I dodged out of the way and grabbed for my gun.

 _Don’t kill him_ , I told myself. _You need him alive._

Spike jumped in front of me, and in a flurry of kicks, blocks and free flowing movements, he popped the knife out of Red’s hand with infuriating ease.

“Back off, he’s mine!” I said, aiming my gun into the fight.

He ignored me. I could sense I was about to lose this bounty in a matter of seconds. I gritted my teeth.

“Spike!” I yelled over the grunts and groans of the combat. The sun was bleaching the scene in front of me, and perhaps a bit of my sanity. “I know I’m not _Julia_ , but that doesn’t mean I don’t matter!”

Spike stopped dead in his tracks, and deep in my chest I knew I did something bad. Really bad. He looked at me with an intensity I had never seen before, and it chilled me to the bone in this arid wasteland.

Suddenly, I heard a second _schling_ of a knife, and almost in slow motion I watched Red whip his knife against Spike’s face, then punch the other cheekbone with his left hand. He collapsed to the ground leaving only a trail of blood in his place.

Red bolted down the alley. My heart pounded in my chest. I looked down at Spike for a beat. He brought his hand to his cheek and we locked eyes.

For a split second I considered staying. I should apologize, though for what, I didn’t even understand.

No. It was too much. I took off after Red, leaving Spike in the gravel dust beneath my feet.

My pace was slower this time. I felt my three million woolong run farther and farther away from me until I rounded a corner — and he was gone. Disappeared. Just an empty side street.

“Shit.” 

I crumpled against the corner of a wood paneled fence and a graffitied concrete wall. Black dots spotted my vision. I could feel my legs giving out in this glaring heat and I clumsily fell onto a wooden bench a few steps away.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the concrete. What a fucking waste. And now I may pass out from the heat. I stayed there for either ten seconds or ten minutes, I couldn’t tell.

The light leaking in through my eyelids suddenly darkened.

 _Thank god_ , I thought. _A cloud_.

Two firm hands gripped my arms and lifted me off the seat, then shoved me against the concrete wall.

“Hey! — oww!” I complained. My adrenaline shot up, and I looked to see two angry brown eyes glaring at me.

“How do you know about Julia?” He said in a low, dangerous voice. I glanced at his cheek to see an angry, red cut on one cheekbone, a dark red bruise on the other. I felt a pang of guilt.

“Answer me, Faye,” he said a little louder.

“I heard you talking about her to Jet, okay? If you want your late-night girl gab sessions to stay secret, don’t have them in the common area,” I said, my words dripping with attitude. I moved to escape his grip, but he held me in place even tighter. I looked up and saw his eyes shining in anger.

“Don’t — ever — talk about her.” He said. His fingertips dug into the exposed skin of arms.

“Spike, you’re hurting me,” I said, my brow furrowing in anger.

“SAY IT!” he yelled. He was close to my face. Closer then we have ever been before. I clenched my teeth. Sweat rolled down his temple as his tall frame towered over me. Despite everything, I felt a pang between my legs. At that realization, my heartbeat picked up the pace. There was no way anything like that would happen. Not with me and Spike.

“I won’t,” I murmured. “I won’t mention her.” He released his grip — but didn’t move away. We just stood there together for what seemed like hours. Just glaring at each other.

He’s never acted like this. He loved to keep his distance from me in every sense of the word: physically, emotionally and communicatively. But look at him now. Was it the heat? Or the mention of Julia? Who was this person?

“What has gotten into you?” I said huskily, our eye contact still connected.

He didn’t answer. The anger in his eyes morphed in real time, and a strange haze filled him. They now looked… empty. For a moment, I was afraid.

Without thinking, my hand reached out to touch the side of his face. He grabbed my wrist in his hand.

I was about to apologize, unsure of what came over me. But before I could get a word out, he descended upon me, his mouth meeting mine, his other hand cradling where the nape of my neck met my head. A thrill coursed through my body as he pushed me harder against the wall, his knee pushing in between my legs.

My eyes grew wide as this new weight descended upon me, my heart racing a mile a minute. A thought crossed my mind to break away from him and scream, hit him… something to snap him out of this behavior. But under his grip, I don't think I could have stopped it even if I wanted to. And truthfully, I didn't.

Spike pushed against me, his warm mouth working against mine. In the heat, I felt like I could barely breathe, but I didn't really care. If anything, the weight, the heat, the pressure… it just made me more wet. His tongue pushed against mine, and I reciprocated. His mouth felt warm and forbidden and erotic. I felt some weird pressure, a tension that I didn't know was there – shatter.

He broke away from the kiss and ripped off his blue jacket and threw it to the ground. He reached down to unzip his pants. Our combined breathing was heavy as I tried to look at his face and get some insight into what he was thinking. He finally looked at me. I saw passion and lust in his half-lidded eyes -- an almost superficial layer over the emptiness that scared me only moments ago.

"Faye." His grip tightened around me. A jolt panged between my legs. Maybe I only saw my own lust being reflected in his eyes.

I reached into his pants and heard a faint alarm in the back of my head, warning me this was not a good idea. But then Spike pushed aside the hem of my shorts and I guided him in. I gasped as the thick fullness entered. Suddenly, his hands glided over my rear, and he picked me up and carried me to the corner where the concrete wall met the wooden fence. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pushed himself into me over and over and over again – hard.

I could hear him grunting softly in my ear as I tried to suppress my own groans. His cheek was slick with sweat against mine in the hazy air. I thought about saying something. But I didn't know what. To be honest, I was afraid if I said anything, he would stop. Sex is the most intimate thing to do with a person… but as I felt my arousal continue to build with his groans in my ear, he felt like a stranger.

So I kept my mouth shut.

Spike reached a hand underneath my yellow top and grabbed my breast. He deftly unbuttoned my top and his mouth descended to my chest. I felt the pressure, my own pleasure rising as he tongue worked around a nipple -- his mouth hungry. I almost couldn't handle the eroticism of stoic, unbothered Spike being so very hot and bothered. By me. I forced his head back and kissed him deeply as I pushed my clitoris against his hard torso -- then thrust myself on him, encouraging him to fuck me against the wall now.

He got the hint. His breathing became ragged and I couldn't control my own cries as I felt him go deep and steady in and out of me. His fingertips reached and tangled themselves in my hair. Then he pulled back, so I was forced to look up into the sky. And just as the first cool breeze all day hit my face, my orgasm rocked my body and I cried out into the bleached white sky.

"Ahhhh, arrghh," Spike groaned into my shoulder as he came inside me, his arms suffocating me in his grip. I felt him thrust into me, one, two, three times… then his shoulders relaxed, and he set me down.

I leaned against the concrete wall, panting. And I slid down to the ground, exhausted. Spike stood over me, also breathing hard. His tie was loose around his neck, his pale yellow shirt limp with sweat. I looked up at his towering figure, uncertain of what to do or say next. It seemed like the first time in front of Spike… I was speechless. His arm reached out to steady himself against the wall above me.

"Spike?" I said softly, black dots again flittering in and out of my line of sight.

He looked down at me. His normal, analytical gaze now fully returned. And in a resigned tone, he finally spoke:

"Shit."


End file.
